


Execute the Plan (Expect it to go off the Rails)

by Starchild (DouxAnge)



Series: Bats According to Stars [6]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Dick has ADHD, Dick needs a hug, Jason is dramatic, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Overprotective Damian, Tim has a caffeine problem
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-04
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-16 14:54:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29702253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DouxAnge/pseuds/Starchild
Summary: A right of passage gets Tim and Jason grounded.Dick has a hard conversation.
Relationships: (mentioned)Roy Harper/Jason Todd, Dick Grayson/Wally West
Series: Bats According to Stars [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2173989
Kudos: 6





	Execute the Plan (Expect it to go off the Rails)

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first story in the series that outwardly expresses mental health. Dick has *depression* because I, the author, also have *depression* and writing about other people suffering through it brings me *joy*. It is very non-descriptive, but I'm hoping to expand on it later in the series. Be prepared!

Jay and Tim are waiting for me on the steps of the school once I finally make my way outside after the final bell. Jay is laying on the rail, balanced only by whatever higher power exists. Tim is standing in front of him, head down as he absently plays with his own string loop. When Tim notices me, he shoves Jay and sends him tumbling to the ground. 

“We’re walking today,” Jay states as he pops to his feet. “I think it’s time Timmers and I introduce you to one of our ‘official teens only’ rituals.” 

Curiosity will be the death of me, I swear.

Tim leads the way after tucking his string into his back pocket. Jay and I follow after him, shoving each other as we walk. Eventually Tim jumps between us, giving a perfect replica of Alfie’s disappointed look. My chatter fills the otherwise silent air after that. Tim ends up taking my bag and daring me to complete increasingly difficult tricks until we reach a gas station. The older boys smirk at each other before turning to me. 

“Not a single word about this to Alfred or Bruce, got it?” With a solemn nod, we make our way inside.   
Jay stays at the front with our bags while Tim leads me to the drink coolers in the back. The one he stops in front of is full of energy drinks Alfred would have our heads for even looking at. My brother grabs four cans of Bang, one brightly-coloured can off a different shelf, and a coffee flavoured one. He smiles devilishly at me before weaving his way back to the front of the store. I follow behind him, turning the final corner at just the right time to see Jay lean over the counter and give the cashier a peck on the cheek. The redhead freezes as we make eye contact, making Tim snort. He sets the drinks on the counter, and the cashier rings them up.

“Aren’t you going to get something for the other two, Timmers?” the redhead jokes.

“Ha ha, Harper. I grabbed a Bang for Jaybird and the doubleshot for the little one. I’m not a monster.” The redhead just smiles and shakes his head. 

“Get out of here before I tell the bossman about your little habit,” he states, throwing his arm towards the door.

“Bold of you to assume I won’t rat you out to your boss about only being 15,” Jay sneers.

“Bold of you to assume my boss doesn’t already know that! Now seriously, get out of my store. I got in trouble last week because you were hanging around too long.”

My brothers herd me out of the store, smiles on their faces. The entire exchange was confusing. We make our way across the street to a small park, where Jay shoves me onto a bench and hands one of the energy drinks to me. Tim already has one open and is drinking like it’s the only thing he’s had in weeks. Jay is watching me expectantly, so I crack the can open and take a sip. It tastes like coffee, with a hint of vanilla. 

Tim goes to swipe it from me, and I turn around and vault over the back of the bench. As I move further away from my brothers, I gulp down as much of the drink as possible. By the time Tim catches me, it’s empty. He and Jay share an alarmed look before tossing back the rest of their own drinks. What I assume is the caffeine hits my system after a few minutes. I take a seat on the bench again, for once not feeling the overwhelming need to fidget. Tim and Jay watch me with increasing amounts of panic.

“We broke Dick,” Jay whispers, horrified. He turns to Tim and grabs his shoulders, shaking the older boy like a rag doll. All the raven haired boy can do is stare his assailant in the face and let it happen.

“I don’t think we should walk the rest of the way home,” Tim states slowly. “Do you wanna call Demon or Alfred?” Jay steps back like the words were a physical blow. “We have to call one of them, Jason!”

“Like hell we do! Let’s just keep going and hope no one else notices!”

“Trust me, both Bruce and Alfred are going to notice. The real question is how long do we want to put this off?”   
Jason sighs, hanging his head and dropping Tim’s shoulders. The older pulls out his phone, tapping away on the screen before sitting heavily next to me. Jay, the drama kid that he is, throws himself to the ground at our feet. My eyes slowly drift between my brothers, then over to the playground where a couple kids are running around. 

Before I realize it, Dami is pulling up to the curb and climbing out of the car. Jay jumps to his feet, running over and throwing himself at our oldest sibling. Dami just sidesteps and lets him fall. Green eyes settle on me for all of three seconds before Tim’s shirt is wadded up in Dami’s hand.

“What did you do to him?” he demands.

“We gave him an energy drink and for some fucking reason it did that to him! How were we supposed to know?” 

With a growl, Damian shoves Tim away and stalks over to me. He kneels down so we’re eye level with each other and gently turns my head around before feeling my forehead and checking my pulse. My phone goes off in my pocket, and I pull it out and glance at the caller ID before answering it.

“Hey, Walls. What’s going on?” It takes a few seconds for my best friend to say anything.

“I just wanted to see if we’re still on for tomorrow, but now I’m deeply concerned about you, Richard Grayson. You don’t have an ounce of chill in your entire body but you sound so chill right now. Are you on drugs? Do I need to come over there? I’m coming over there,” Wally rambles, and over the line I can hear the faint rustling as he pulls his jacket on and walks through his house.

“I’m not on drugs, man, chill! Tim and Jay gave me an energy drink, and for the first time in my entire life it feels like I can actually think instead of chasing after my thoughts.” Silence. Dead silence for three full seconds.

“Oh,” Wally says flatly. “Anyways, since I’m already outside I’m totally still coming over. I’ll be on your doorstep in fifteen!” The line goes dead with a click. I make a face at the screen before shoving the device back in my pocket. 

My brothers are still staring at me, whispering angrily amongst themselves until I stand up. Dami tuts before motioning toward his car. We all climb in, Jay stealing the front seat just before Tim can reach for the handle. For the entire ten minutes it takes to get back to the Manor, I stare intently out the window. My hands stay folded in my lap, and my legs and feet stay suspiciously still. Bruce is waiting at the door for us, arms crossed over his chest.

“Wally called,” he says simply, staring each of us in the eyes. Dami huffs slightly before making his way up the stairs. Bruce doesn’t even acknowledge his exit. “You three better thank your lucky stars I was the one to pick up the phone and not Alfred, or the consequences of your actions would be much more severe.” 

Jay and Tim both drop their heads, wincing slightly at the harsh words. 

“Jason, you are under house arrest for the foreseeable future. Alfred or I will be picking you up from school until your punishment is over. Timothy, I’m putting a cap on your caffeine intake. Daily limit will be two cups of coffee. Any amount over said limit will carry to the next day. Understood?” Both nod, not even lifting their heads as they’re dismissed. Bruce looks at me and hesitates.

“What?” I demand, crossing my arms over my chest. Bruce simply ruffles my hair and smiles before making his way towards his home office, leaving me in the entrance hall totally confused.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Wally comes barrelling through the door and nearly takes me off my feet. Alfred, who is two steps up the staircase, sighs and makes his way to the kitchen instead. My boyfriend grins sheepishly at the butler before grabbing my sleeve and tugging me towards the sitting room. I start up the GameCube and toss a controller to Wally, who flops onto the couch and stretches out to take up as much room as physically possible. Without hesitation, I throw myself down on his feet. Once we have Smash Bros. set up, I take a breath and turn towards the redhead. 

“Jason has a boyfriend.”

“About damn time,” Wally mumbles, not taking his eyes off the tv. After a few beats of silence, he turns towards me. “Dickie? You okay?” A soft sigh, followed by the prick at the back of my eyes. The redhead immediately hugs me, pulling my small frame into his lap. 

“Everything hurts again,” I whisper, balling his shirt up in my hands and tucking my face into his neck. Wally’s arms cinch ever-so-slightly tighter around my waist.   
My boyfriend takes a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds before slowly letting it out. I feel his nose press into my hair, and I pull away just enough to look up at him. Wally’s eyes are closed, but I can see the discomfort in every line on his face. Whatever he’s about to say, I’m not going to like it.

“I think you should tell someone. Someone that isn’t me. I’m doing everything I can, Richard, but you still go through really rough patches and I don’t know how long it’ll be until I have to tell Bruce or Alfred or even Damian about this before I lose you.” He takes a shuddering breath, and when he looks at me his eyes are much more dull than they should be. My heart breaks.

“Maybe once everything with Cass is settled down. Can’t have two kids who are trying to off themselves, right?” It was meant to be a joke, but based on Wally’s flinch it missed the mark. “Fine. I’ll talk to Dami about it tonight. I know he’s been through some stuff.” Like a child, I disentangle myself from Wally and turn my head away from him.

“I should probably head home, yeah?” my boyfriend asks softly. I simply nod in response. With a sigh, he stands up and presses a kiss into the crown of my hair before walking out of the room.


End file.
